NFL Draft: all-virtual or in-person? | The Tylt

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NFL Draft: all-virtual or in-person?

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The NFL Draft has been an overblown and overproduced circus in recent years it distracted from the actual realization of draftees' NFL dreams. With this new, all-virtual format, fans got a more intimate experience that'll make it difficult to go back to the way things were, especially when it's breaking audience numbers.

Players weren't forced to put on suits or wait in a green room to be picked. They were comfortable in their own homes surrounded by family. Fans got to see emotional moments with parents, getting drafted in bathrobes, even a girlfriend getting tossed by a mother. These are the personal moments an all-virtual draft gives.

Not only were the players on full display, coaches in their homes were also featured and they did not disappoint. From Bill Belichick's dog negotiating trades from the war room to Kliff Kingsbury's home fit for an embezzler to Mike Vrabel's quirky family, these coaches showed they were no slouches in providing some personality to their personas and entertainment for the fans.

The NFL should make this a permanent thing.

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The 2020 NFL Draft was great because sports fans are starved for anything during the coronavirus quarantine. But make no mistake about it, the in-person draft experience is unrivaled. Thousands pack an arena or stadium to cheer a franchise-changing talent, boo a questionable pick or boo the NFL commissioner just because—the electricity in a crowd like that is way more exciting than watching a draft with fans screaming from a video conferencing screen.

Part of the draft experience for players in the past is having their names boom from a stadium-wide speaker and hear fans cheer their names. Taking that walk and shaking the hands of the commissioner is the beginning of their NFL journey and denying them that opportunity to live out that dream would be wrong.

The NFL Draft was executed well during a worldwide pandemic, but an all-virtual draft is a poor substitute for the excitement of a live, in-person experience.